Mark 11:14 12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13And when he saw a fig tree in the distance having leaves, he went if perhaps he could find anything on it, and when he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And answering he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Jesus and the disciples were on their way from Bethany where they were staying to the temple in Jerusalem, the distance of several miles. Jesus as the incarnated Son of God and Messiah was hungry and saw a fig tree and went to see if it had any fruit on it to eat. Upon not finding any, he declared it would never bear fruit again. This is a difficult passage to interpret because the image of Jesus we see here does not fit the image we see elsewhere. Why would Jesus curse a fig tree that bore no fruit? Since this was Passover week, it was Spring, likely around the middle of April. The fig tree would have leaves but no fruit until late May or June. Fig trees formed nodules by April, and a hungry person could eat these if hungry. A fig tree without these nodules by April would likely not have any ripe fruit a month or two later and no harvest by the end of the summer.
The clue to this story comes in seeing it as an enacted parable symbolic of something larger. The tree gave a promise without fulfillment. The leaves promised fruit, but the tree gave none. One possible application is the leaves represent Israel that was alive as a people and looking for the Messiah but failed to produce the fruit of repentance and commitment. Would the people of Jerusalem who welcomed him the day before accept the call to discipleship? Jesus was about to enter the temple precincts that had become corrupted by the trading and money changers. The pilgrims and hosts of the Passover celebration seemed sincere (green leaves), but they were not truly looking and ready for the Messiah. They had their chance to be ready for the Messiah but would reject Jesus and so face their destruction. Israel’s prophets used fig trees as a symbol of God’s judgment (Isaiah 34:4; Jeremiah 8:13; 29:17; Hosea 2:12; 9:10; Joel 1:7; Micah 7:1). As the later passage in verses 20-25 implies, the disciples missed the connection between what Jesus did to the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple.
The lesson is simple but challenging. Many people today are like the Jews of Jerusalem and know enough about Jesus, which makes them accountable for their response to him and the gospel. We live in expectation for God to do something in our lives but refuse to accept the lordship of Jesus. We pray but not in Jesus’ name or for his sake and glory. Where there should be the fruit of repentance and righteousness, there is none.
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